The Role of Sleep in the Military: Implications for Training and Operational Effectiveness

This chapter addresses the role of sleep in a variety of military settings, ranging from military education and training regimes and extending to military missions and combat operations. It first overviews the scientific literature related to sleep and performance. It then describes a 10-year series of studies conducted at the Naval Postgraduate School that addresses fatigue and sleep restriction in military settings. These studies examine sleep patterns of Sailors aboard warships and submarines; shift the timing of sleep during training in Navy Recruits and Army Basic Combat Trainees; follow Cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point in a 4-year longitudinal study; and assess sleep in operational environments including surveys of warfighters while deployed and recently returned from combat in Southwest Asia. Results of many of these studies are reviewed concluding with recommendations advocating the inclusion of sleep as a factor when calculating military effectiveness.